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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888144">City Lights on the Water</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessedwithstabler/pseuds/obsessedwithstabler'>obsessedwithstabler</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Psych (TV 2006)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Songfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:42:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888144</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessedwithstabler/pseuds/obsessedwithstabler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the responders looked as well and shouted for backup as a deafening explosion rocked them all. Lassiter was thrown off balance as he screamed his partner’s name. “O’Hara!”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlton Lassiter/Juliet O'Hara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>City Lights on the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Oh look, a less angsty story. This little labor of love was inspired by (and uses some of) Taylor Swift's song Mine, and partially by a scene from Grey's Anatomy. Enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He would never admit it, but Carlton Lassiter did not mind when his partner drove.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, he used to be a dick about it. He’d grumble and complain any time she insisted on taking the keys. But to be fair to him, his partner before her had been a terrible driver. Maybe it made him a jerk, but he had assumed Juliet would be a bad driver as well. When he finally relented and let her drive, it was a bit of a relief. Sure he didn’t let her drive every time; he had a reputation to maintain after all. But it was nice to use the time to catch up on a file, or simply sit back and breathe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not that he needed it or anything.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was late morning and they were driving out to speak with a witness involved in a string of robberies that had rocked Santa Barbara in the past month. Juliet was behind the wheel and Lassiter was reading from his casefile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He only stopped when Juliet slammed on the brakes, sending them both lurching forward.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweet lady Justice, O’Hara!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But she was having none of it, and it soon registered why as she killed the engine. There was a wreck ahead; one minivan rested upside down while a more compact sedan was crumpled against a tree. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Call it in, Carlton!” Juliet barked out, already out of her seat and flinging the door open. He swore and grabbed his phone, calling in the accident and demanding backup as he got out of the car. Once he had confirmation, he shoved his phone into his pocket and ran after his partner.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was already at the sedan and she looked over her shoulder. “Go help the minivan!” she barked, and with reluctance he nodded and jogged to the minivan. Dropping to his knees, he peered into the broken window and came eye to eye with a terrified young woman.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you hurt? What’s your name?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My daughter!” she choked out, tugging weakly at the seatbelt keeping her restrained in place. “Please...help my baby.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Swearing, Lassiter moved to look into the backseat. A young girl, maybe seven or eight, stared back at him with teary eyes. The glass of the window was already shattered, so he pulled his pocketknife out. “What’s your name?” He kept his voice reassuring and as friendly as he could manage.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A-Annabelle,” the girl managed shakily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. That’s good. My name is Carlton.” He opened the pocketknife and showed it to her. “Annabelle, are you hurting anywhere?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-No.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. I’m going to get you out of here.” He gently placed his hand against her chest and began cutting at the seatbelt. When she was free, he easily caught her and lifted the tiny girl out of the wreckage. Once she was on her feet, he gave her a cursory once over before he moved to free her mother. He could hear faint sirens in the distance, filling him with relief. This family was very fortunate he and O’Hara had stumbled upon the accident.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The young woman, whose name he learned was Tracy, was finally out of the van and sitting on the shoulder of the road. She was clearly in shock but her injuries were minor. She clutched her daughter and sobbed as Lassiter finally stood upright.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you! Thank you so much…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded and pointed to the other car, where he could see O’Hara working to help the other passengers. “I’m gonna help my partner, but there’s an ambulance coming…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as the words left his lips, EMS pulled to a stop a few yards away. He gave them a brief rundown of the situation, looking over his shoulder. O’Hara had pulled a small child out of the sedan, and there was…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fire.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One of the responders looked as well and shouted for backup as a deafening explosion rocked them all. Lassiter was thrown off balance as he screamed his partner’s name.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“O’Hara!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Braced myself for the goodbye</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Cause it’s all I’ve ever known</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The medic grabbed him as he lunged forward, smoke burning his eyes. “Detective, stop!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me go!” She couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t be.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Every moment, every memory suddenly played through his mind as the medic held him in place. Her laugh, her smile, how her voice was a balm to his very soul.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Smoke and tears blurred his vision; denial and grief sent his gut roiling. Even at a distance the heat licked at his exposed flesh. He didn’t feel it. The car was a fireball, destroying everything it touched. Smoke billowed, filling his lungs and straining his breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“O’Hara!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he stopped fighting the first responder, movement surprised them both. Through the smoke a figure appeared.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Juliet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He broke free of the woman’s hold and lunged forward, unwilling to believe his own eyes. Juliet stumbled through the smoke, a small child in her arms. Another first responder rushed over and took the child from Juliet’s arms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was alive.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unable to hold himself back, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his large hand. She was sweaty and dirty and looked so very tired, but she was alive.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Carlton?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His name left her lips like a prayer and he sank to his knees in front of her, sliding his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against her middle. He didn’t care who was watching or what would be said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her slender fingers began carding through his hair, rocking him to his core. She was there. She was there. She was alive. She was there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly her arms left her sides and cradled his head against her middle. In the midst of the chaos and devastation, she murmured to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll never leave you alone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and held her even tighter, ignoring the gravel biting into his knees and the strange stares from those who had just arrived on the scene.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was alive.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Then you took me by surprise</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You said, “I’ll never leave you alone.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>The End.</p>
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